The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-12-09

Intellectual because old and hackneyed!
Quite the reverse, indeed.
"Hc went away with that Teller
Martin, an he hain't come back yit
An what's more. hit may be purity
good spell before airy one NV um
comes back-ef know any theng
about ut" (Which the Lord knows !
didn't.)
There were little nervous switchings
about Polly's pretty mouth and what
We Sandtown people call ''sickly
grin"-which in polite literature has
r" exact equivalent phrase. believe.
and is usually expressed by those words
conveying the idea of ''embarrass-
ment'' along with the smile. But it is
something more than mere enibarrass-
mcnt And therefore adhere to the
homely Sandtown phrase. Liz saw
the expression in her bosom-compan-
ions face. and looked at Polly with her
brows drawn little and very grave
and thoughtful studiousness in her
phenomenally honest gray eyes. Pol
ly's refuge was plainly an honest. in
dignant resentment, and she promptly
awaited herself of this old. old subter-
fuge which. like the other old plans
aforementioned, are none the less po-
tent because of advanced senility.
''You two look at me as if I'd done
something dreadful" she burst out,
with perceptible liquidity of the
brown eyes threatening an immediate
inundation of the delicate little hollows
along the sides of her shapely nose. u
haven't done any thing. have 1? What
are you both mad at me about. And
fist when we were goun to have sich {,
nice time. too. It's real mean. so it
is" Then she hid her face in the
depths of her chintz sun-bOnnet and
sobbed until her little figure undulated
i'm the strange throcs of an anguish
altogether disproportioned. in my
mind at least, to the alleged cause. A
keen suspicion kept me from pros
trating myself and abjectly praying for
pardon. The sympathetic Fan was
there in a moment.
'Why. goodness gracious me, Jim
Silkct! What NV you been a do-un to
Polly? I'd lack to know. Whut's the
matter, Polly? Awn-tie her bonnet
strings. why don't you! Gimmy that
tin a water, she's about tainted. uh!'
But Polly was laughing little hys-
terically. and declaring that she was
all right. And !, giving her a look of
cool Indifference. go. up and went with
Fan, saying, as l started, that l had
better '.git away thrum yuh. if that's
the way!" And at once assuming that
that was the way. took one of Fans
water-buckets and went with her to
the spring, down almost at the brink
of the river.
Don't dip the bucket in, uh!' Fan
said, with what l should n0W regard
rs the most comical and absurd ex-
preston of smiling surprise and re-
monstrance at my impracticability,
along with more absurd set of into
nations and infections. you'll riIe
the worter hathaway! Gimmy thattair
tin. I'M femme ill than buckets"
Then for the double purpose of re-
vcnging myself upon Fan by teasing
her to my hearts content and by de-
tanning her away from Polly. possibly
revenge myself upon that perversc but
beautiful and tantalizing young
woman, upset the half-filled bucket
by stumbling over it. And then when
Fan had recovered sufficiently from
the spasms Of laughter. into which the
blunder Immediately threw her, and
the spring had cleared" sufficiently
to begin the reiilling of the buckets, !
managed to slip very naturally in
passin. above it. and threw Il shower
of sand and loan into the water.
All these things appear childish. and
rude. and tri!ling, and not worth the
rccounting here. But then these were
childish and rude people, perhaps.
And should | tell of those savings and
incidents belonging only to the polished
and mature? And then. too, they
served their purpose. They were sa-
gacious prophecies having their fulfill
mcnt treading upon their heels. and
thus deserve pcrpetua:ion.
All the afternoon leased Fan un-
mercifully-nay. rudely; rery rs,dely. 1
hid some of her little glass dishes with
thoir invaluable contents of candicd
honey, pear preserves and spiccd
peaches. and had her running here and
there. turning over this, and looking
through that. and frantic over her mis-
haps. But with an even good-nature
in it all that at last made me relcnt.
After the dinner was over and while
Liz was reading chapter in that Woe
full story of my youth. the Children of
the Abbey. and Polly was trying TO
listen. set about helping Fan serious
ly with the clearing up ofthe remains
of the feast. and the washing and
packing of dishes.
Here displayed a boys usual lack
of knowledge and method. and Fan
displayed an ineNhaustible fund of ac-
curate information that led to the I'M
doing and doing over Of every thing
that l attempted. At last all these
things being finished to the satisfaction
of Fan. and the fearful consideration
of the Children of the Abbey. on the
part of the two girls having no appear
ance of break or cessation. l readily
2@.W1